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Is there a word that means "left alone and to die"?

Edit: I believe there is such a word. I think I'm looking for abandoned and alone. Others expectations are that you'll die.

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  • 7
    Do you mean "left alone to die"?
    – apaderno
    Feb 24, 2011 at 11:07

4 Answers 4

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Neglected immediately comes to mind (particularly in the context of elderly people in hospitals), my Thesaurus is also suggesting condemned which would fit better in the context of a prisoner on death row although a building can also be declared unfit and condemned. Forsaken might also work depending on context (it has many Biblical connotations).

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Apart from the obvious close-but-no-cigar candidates abandoned and forsaken, how about marooned?

  1. [put] ashore on a desolate island or coast and [left] to one's fate
  2. [placed or left] in isolation or without hope of ready escape
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I cannot think of anything that specifically means “to leave someone alone to die”, even though “leave alone” has many synonyms. The closest I can think of are:

  • “to be left for dead”: to be abandoned as certain to die, but it can also have the connotation of “almost dead”, which may or may not be desirable depending on the context
  • “to leave him to his fate”: although it does not imply death in particular, it is usually implied that the fate in question is unfavourable
  • strand, which means leave someone without means to move, may also be relevant in some cases (stranded on an deserted island)
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Perhaps castaway is sufficient

Sailors were cast away onto desert islands with the intention that they would suffer a slow and painful death, or go mad (although that is technically being marooned).

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